Bilingual Initiatives Symposium
Bilingual Initiatives Symposium:
Bridging Initiatives & Connecting Communities Around Linguistic Servingness
This one-day symposium seeks to foster conversations on bilingualism (English / Spanish and other language combinations) across the University of Arizona within the Hispanic-Serving Institution and Borderlands contexts.
BIS27 organizing team would like to invite you, bilingual advocate, to participate by presenting your projects/initiatives and/or work-in-progress, and by attending and connecting with potential collaborators/stakeholders across campus and beyond!
Subscribe to our newsletter for BIS updates & Bilingual Opportunities!
Explore the significance of bilingualism in education and its role in fostering bi/multi/cultural understanding and inclusivity.
Share successful bilingual initiatives and programs implemented across campus.
Discuss challenges and opportunities in promoting bilingualism and multiculturalism within Higher Education.
Foster collaboration and exchange of ideas among faculty, staff, students, and community members interested in bilingual (English-Spanish and/or other bilingual combinations) education and initiatives.
Advocate for bilingualism and multiculturalism initiatives in HSI by fostering a community of educators and professionals in Higher Education.
BIS started out of curiosity, in the first cohort of HSI Ambassadors program and it has been able to grow beyond our imagination bridging initiatives and connecting bilingual advocates around linguistic servingness as a part of the HSI Faculty Seed Grant awardee project Advocating for Bilingual & Culturally-Responsive Higher Education #ABCHigherEd. To ensure long-term sustainability and expand impact, BIS is hosted annually, generously sponsored by Hispanic-Serving Institution Initiatives Office, collaboratively supported in part by the Guerrero Student Space, Office of General Education, & W.A. Franke Honors College, and different internal grants from ConfluenCenter & Comission on Status of Women, and additional funding from HealthCare Partnership.
Do you want to support BIS27 in the planning and the making? Let's have a cafecito soon and talk about it! Email us at HISI-bilingual@arizona.edu
Bilingual Initiatives Symposium (BIS) Teams
Jhonatan Henao-Muñoz, BIS founder and director
Assistant Professor of Practice, W.A. Franke Honors College
UNIV Core Faculty & Inaugural Director of Bilingual UNIV Curriculum, Office of General Education
- Dra. Marla Franco, Special Advisor to the Provost, Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives.
- Dra. Sonia Colina, Regents Professor, College of Humanities.
- Dra. Nadia Alvarez Mexía, Assistant Professor of Practice & Assistant Director of Learning Development and Community Involvement, W.A. Franke Honors College.
Advocating for Bilingual & Culturally-Responsive Higher Education
PI - Jhonatan Henao-Muñoz, Assistant Professor of Practice, W.A. Franke Honors College, UNIV Core Faculty & Inaugural Director of Bilingual UNIV Curriculum, Office of General Education.
Co - PIs
Dr. Matthew W. Austin, Assistant Professor of Practice, W.A. Franke Honors College & UNIV Core Faculty, Office of General Education.
Dra. Jessica K. Zeilter, Bilingual Instructional Designer, University Center for Assessment, Teaching and Technology (UCATT).
Dra. Itzel A. Íñiguez, Online Program Manager, Arizona Online.
Pedagogical materials on
[Resource page in-progress - To be launched in Fall 2027]
Writing Bilingual Writing Support
Riqué Duhamell Escobedo (they/elle) is a graduate student pursuing their Master of Arts degree in Library and Information Science. They double majored in Creative Writing and Spanish Literature for their undergraduate at Arizona State. They minored in Chicane and Latine Studies and got a certificate in LGBTQ+ Studies, both of which make frequent appearances in their writings. They’ve studied abroad in Mexico, Argentina, and Spain and hope to visit more of Latin America throughout their academic and professional career.
Kristal Natera (she/ella) is a staff member at the Center for Latin American Studies. She obtained her bachelor's degree and master's degree in Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona and participated in the IDEAS study abroad program in Antigua, Guatemala. Kristal also works as a coordinator for the Studies of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) for women's leadership supporting college students from Latin America and leading team building workshops. She has taught Spanish for the Spanish Basic Language Program at the university and also Latin American Studies courses, both online and in-person.
Catalina Rosas Bejarano (she/ella) 2nd year undergraduate student, majoring in Speech Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, College of Sciences, minoring in Spanish & French, College of Humanitites.
Ethel Arvizu Ramirez (she/ella) 2nd year undergraduate student, majoring in Speech Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, College of Sciences, minoring in Spanish, College of Humanitites.
Ana Cornide, PhD, Associate Professor of Practice, Director of Critical Service Learning and Community Outreach Program, Department of Spanish & Portuguese.
Ms Anaid Moreno, ELD Coordinator, El Pueblo HighSchool, TUSD.
Julián Vega, EdD, Manager of Financial Aid Campus Operation, Pima Community College.
Zenén Salazar, BA, MPH, Director, HealthCare Partnership.
Riqué Duhamell Escobedo (they/elle) is a graduate student pursuing their Master of Arts degree in Library and Information Science. They double majored in Creative Writing and Spanish Literature for their undergraduate at Arizona State. They minored in Chicane and Latine Studies and got a certificate in LGBTQ+ Studies, both of which make frequent appearances in their writings. They’ve studied abroad in Mexico, Argentina, and Spain and hope to visit more of Latin America throughout their academic and professional career.
Kristal Natera (she/ella) is a staff member at the Center for Latin American Studies. She obtained her bachelor's degree and master's degree in Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona and participated in the IDEAS study abroad program in Antigua, Guatemala. Kristal also works as a coordinator for the Studies of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) for women's leadership supporting college students from Latin America and leading team building workshops. She has taught Spanish for the Spanish Basic Language Program at the university and also Latin American Studies courses, both online and in-person.
Catalina Rosas Bejarano (she/ella) 2nd year undergraduate student, majoring in Speech Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, College of Sciences, minoring in Spanish & French, College of Humanitites.
Gabriella (Gabi) Arroyo, (she/ella) Honors College, Psychology Major | Sociology Minor | ACE Minor, Spring 2026 - Nepantla Student Association - President
Andrea Hernandez, (she/ella), Honors College, Molecular and Cellular Biology Major | Biochemistry Major, Spring 2026 - Nepantla Student Association - Consultant
Dra. Karla Silva, Director, HSI Initiatives.
Ms. Isela J. Gonzales-Cook, Sr. Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Spanish & Portuguese.
Dra. Marta Sesteaga, Principal, Office of Curricular Affairs. UNIDOS staff co-chair.
Dr. Adrián Arroyo, Associate Director for Faculty Programs, Faculty Affairs, Provost Office. UNIDOS faculty co-chair.
Dra. Audrey Tocco, Senior Coordinator, High Impact Practices, Division of Undergraduate Education.
Dra. Treya Allen, Coordinator for Instructional Support for Intentional Design, Office of General Education.
Dra. Itzel A. Íñiguez, Online Program Manager, Arizona Online.
Jhonatan Henao-Muñoz, Assistant Professor of Practice, W.A. Franke Honors College, UNIV Core Faculty & Inaugural Director of Bilingual UNIV Curriculum, Office of General Education.
Lucero Ramirez, Senior Coordinator, Adalberto & Ana Guerrero Student Space
Annual Bilingual Initiatives Symposium
3rd Annual Bilingual Initiatives Symposium
March 20th, 2026
"From and For the Community - Desde y Por/Para la Comunidad"
This year's edition will feature this year's edition will feature María Christina Federico Brummer, Director of Mexican American Students Services Department at Tucson Unified School District as keynote speaker presenting on Serving to Build Bicultural Bridges: A K-12 Story of Persistence.
Organized by Advocating for Bilingual and Culturally-Responsive Higher Education project - ABC HigherEd team and Bilingual HSI Advocates.
2nd Annual Bilingual Initiatives Symposium
March 28th, 2025
"Building Capacity for Bilingual, Bicultural and Biliterate Higher Education"
This year's edition will feature Dra. Joy Esquierdo, Vice Provost of Bilingual Integration, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, as the keynote speaker presenting on Revitalizing Institutions of Higher Education: Innovations in the Multidimensionality of Bilingualism.
Organized by Advocating for Bilingual and Culturally-Responsive Higher Education project - ABC HigherEd
Inaugural
Annual Bilingual Initiatives Symposium
April 12th, 2024
"Embracing Bilingualism at HSI UAZ"
Hosted by: Jhonatan Henao-Muñoz, Assistant Professor of Practice in the W.A. Franke Honors College and a member of the UNIV Core Faculty in the Office of General Education.
Faculty Collaborators: Dra. Nadia Álvarez Mexía, Assistant Professor of Practice and the Assistant Director of Learning Development and Community Involvement in the W.A. Franke Honors College, Dr. Matthew Austin, Assistant Professor of Practice in the W.A. Franke Honors College and a member of the UNIV Core Faculty in the Office of General Education.
For Spring 2027, the BIS27 organizers would like to invite you to participate by presenting your projects/initiatives and/or work-in-progress, and by attending and connecting with potential collaborators/stakeholders across campus and beyond!
Call for Proposal Form - Click here to submit by (TBD)
Save the date! March 19th, 2027 - RSVP here! (available soon!)
Do you want to support BIS27 in the planning and the making? Let's have a cafecito soon and talk about it! Email us at HISI-bilingual@arizona.edu & jhenaomunoz@arizona.edu and/or schedule an appointment calendly.com/profejhon/bilingualhighered